On the Horizon: Descent into Darkness Chapters
by KamikazeKitten425
Summary: Ansem the Wise's Daughter, Annaleah, must cope with the loss of her father, her world,and lead her people to salvation while caught in a painful romance with Sephiroth as she struggles to return him to the man he once was after he is corrupted by darkness
1. The Descent into Darkness Chapters: 1

------ON THE HORIZON-------

A KINGDOM HEARTS FANFICTION

Rating: M for language, sexual refernces and NON YAOI sex scenes. OMG SHEWT MEH AT DAWN

So this is my story. I know there are typos in here somewhere so if you could be so kind as to point them out it will be appreciated.

just tell me the sentence and the chapter it is from and I will know where it is and fix it.

Reviews are appreciated... no flaming though. I don't put flaming reviews on your stuff so please don't do it to mine.

A friend of mine read this and said it was actually good so please at least give it a try!

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CHAPTER I

_-The heart… an entity within us all… not a physical organ, more like a soul that embodies all the emotions we feel._

Anna Blinked

_-Within every heart there is darkness and there is light. The heart thrives on both. An imbalance between the two is common, however it seems there is always more dark than light when this occurs. If the amount of _darkness_ is…_

Anna snapped the notebook shut. This was all just a bunch of rabble to her; she couldn't understand it at all. Her mind was occupied with other things as well. She didn't have the patience to look over her father's notes right now.

She looked up into the tree above her. Her light, ocean green eyes reflected the branches that seemed to be extending into the heavens from where she sat. The sun was high in the sky above her and hot on her skin. She brushed her bright orange hair out of her face. Must've been about noon… She was sitting below a blossoming fruit tree in the orchard, where she had always loved to spend her time, even as a child.

She had wasted half her day sitting under this tree looking over her fathers main research notes. Something he had constantly encouraged her to do for the past couple of years. He wanted her to know just as much as he did when she took his place as the leader of their people. Anna thought she had plenty of time for that, her father was getting on in his years but he certainly wasn't old. He still had as much energy as he did for as long as Anna could remember. However, Anna was twenty four now and needed to get a move on with learning how to become a good leader. She had very big shoes to fill. ­­­­­­Her father wasn't called Ansem the Wise for nothing.

…and what was she called? Anna the tramp? Anna the thick? Anna the not so wise? She wasn't a tramp! She wasn't thick! But they knew… it was all covered up but they knew… they all knew; whispering behind her back… "_Pregnant at fifteen? Tsk tsk tsk… what has Ansem the wise raised?"_

Anna shook her head. It had all been covered up… her son was taken to a better family… nobody knew… she didn't know why it had been bothering her so much lately. It was an accident too… not like it was some random guy… she loved him… but her now deceased mother forced her to stop seeing him… because of that she broke his heart… she couldn't face him again… she was too ashamed…. it had been nine years! Why was she still dwelling on it? Why wouldn't she let another man so much as gaze at her since? That was easy… She still loved him… she knew she did… The loss of her son still hurt too. She would have kept him but she passed out after giving birth and when she woke up he was gone.

Anna sighed and stood up. She placed the notebook in her bag and headed towards the castle. She paused and turned around to survey the scene behind her. The castle was perched atop a hill. Surrounding it was many gardens as well as a large wall at the edge. There was a small river that flowed through these magnificent gardens. It also flowed through the city beyond. This city was known as Radiant Garden. The city was a marvel of architecture. Everything was clean yet beautifully crafted. The streets were paved with lightly colored stone and the river flowed right through the town square where a fountain rose up two stories high in the center. Beyond the city was another large wall and beyond that there was a large forest that circled the city around back but broke in the front. Then there were various far off farming villages, and beyond that… was nothing. The fields of grass stretched far to the ocean, then the desert, then the ocean again, then the fields of grass again, and then back to the city.

The human population was small in their world. It had once circled the entire globe. A royal family reigned supreme over all mankind. It was said the royal family were god-like human beings, descended from holy entities that formed the world in ages past; their hearts the purest of all. It was said that life back then was good and prosperous thanks to these great rulers.

Then "_It" _happened… something that destroyed the population of the world. For some reason, only the populace of Radiant Garden and the few surrounding hamlets remained… the rest was wiped clean from the surface of the world. "_It"_ was known as the Calamity, but everyone referred to it verbally as _"It"_. There were few books in the castle library that recounted what happened, but Anna did read the few that did. It was considered her only history lessons… back when she was still in schooling. The rest of history was obsolete. Very little was still known about the old world. The Calamity referred to an invasion of a great dark force that destroyed the old world. Only the great ancient knights were able to stop it before it destroyed all humanity. Who these knights were, they did not know. Some accounts state that they came from other worlds. These men were said to excel in all aspects of swordsmanship and fighting overall. They also possessed magic powers that practically dwarfed the powers the modern day wizards wielded. It was also said that one of the knights remained in this world and one day a descendant of his would become a hero to the people. This was all tales recounted by elders passed on through generations; none of it was actually concrete fact. The royal family was also said to have died out. That was when Anna's family took over leading the people. They did not consider themselves royalty. They emphasized the fact that they were servants of the people and world and they did everything they could to help both.

It was difficult having such a hazy past; however, the technological revolution that had started not long after the calamity subsided had given birth to a whole new way of life for the people. Thanks to Ansem the Wise's newest computer inventions, they had tight security and better information storage facilities within their city. Recent Gummi ship technology had also made transportation to farther places much easier than actually walking. They were also good for exploring space as well, but no one seemed inclined to explore the outer reaches of the universe; or at least not yet.

Anna continued on the path up to the castle. Halfway there she was ambushed by a little girl with deep red hair and beautiful blue eyes who ran up to Anna and hugged her so fast they both nearly tripped and fell.

"Kairi!" Said Anna, laughing. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Kairi giggled

"Nana let me out early!" she said grinning up at Anna.

Nana was Anna's grandmother. Since Anna's mother barely even treated her like a daughter Anna always looked to Nana as a mentor for support. Nana was also Anna's school teacher when she was Kairi's age as well. Nana was getting very old but still seemed inclined to be a teacher to Kairi.

Kairi, on the other hand, Anna treated like her own daughter. She was eight years old and full of energy. Anna had found Kairi orphaned on the streets of Radiant Garden just a few years back and due to the fact that her son was taken away from her she felt almost inclined to take the poor child out of the cold and into her family. This was when Anna's father noticed Kairi had, in her possession, an ancient royal ring. Kairi was the last of the holy, royal family. Ansem agreed to allow Kairi to stay with them in order to study her and her heart.

For some reason Anna felt that Kairi completed their broken family. Anna's mother died a year before they found Kairi. Ansem was always locked away in his study his apprentices didn't even go near Anna. Not after the fiasco with Xehanort anyhow. He had tried on several separate occasions to court Anna but since her heart belonged to only one man she continuously refused him.

Anna had always found Xehanort cold and brooding anyway. She disliked his passion of studying the darkness of the heart. Not even her father was that obsessed with it. He was handsome though… she gave him that, but that wasn't enough.

Speaking of the apprentices… Anna noticed while trying to unhinge Kairi from her hip, all of her father's apprentices, excluding Xehanort were rushing up to the castle from the courtyard rather quickly.

What are they in hurry for? She wondered, frowning. She looked up and saw Xehanort watching her from the window near the door to the courtyard to which the apprentices were heading. His orange eyes fixed on her. She stared back, curiously looking over his tan face and his white, shoulder-length hair.

He was up to something… she knew he was. He and the apprentices… they had been hiding something from her father for a long time now she couldn't prove it because she couldn't find it… but she knew… she had a suspicion that they were conducting unauthorized experiments with the heartless creatures that had only recently started appearing around the castle. Anna wasn't quite sure what they were but her father seemed to know and he did not like them. He had forbidden Xehanort from testing certain troubling theories, involving these creatures, on actual people… but Anna had a sneaking suspicion that he was doing it anyway. Every week Auron, the chief of the Radiant Guard would report to Ansem and Anna about missing people. It made Anna sick looking into Xehanort's eyes, knowing he was doing something awful to these people in secret without any remorse, and she was unable to stop him.

Anna realized her curious gaze had turned to an acid glare. Xehanort shot a contemptuous look back at her and turned to meet his fellow apprentices as they arrived in the castle. Kairi had gone dead silent too when she realized who Anna was looking at. Kairi never seemed comfortable around him either.

Then suddenly Anna's bag slipped off of her shoulder. She looked down in alarm and realized Kairi was holding it. She grinned.

"Come on Kairi give that back!" she said bending down to snatch it from Kairi's grasp.

Kairi smirked and jumped out of her reach. She was in a phase in which she liked to steal things from Anna and play keep away.

"Come on Kairi…" Anna said laughing and approaching her.

"CATCH ME! CATCH ME!" Kairi shouted and bolted around the side of the castle in the direction of the main entrance.

Anna rolled her eyes and ran after her. She caught Kairi not far from the front drive and tackled her to the ground.

"I got you!" Anna sneered in a fake evil voice. Then she began to tickle the child gleefully.

Kairi screeched with laughter trying to fight Anna off. When Anna suspected Kairi had had enough she grabbed her bag and stood up, helping Kairi up with her by the hand.

"I'm hungry" Kairi said looking up at Anna.

"Well let's go into the kitchen then, and I'll make you some lunch." Said Anna starting to lead Kairi towards the front door to the castle. They had castle servants to do the job for them but Anna preferred to make her own meals sometimes. She never really was comfortable with too much pampering.

"YAY!" Exclaimed Kairi attempting to skip with Anna. This was difficult at the pace Anna was walking.

They reached the front doors and walked into the entrance hall. There were three men standing near where they had entered conversing. Ansem, Her father, Auron, The chief of the Radiant Guard and… Anna froze at the sight of the third man. He was Auron's former understudy, the General of the Radiant Guard and was considered the best fighter in the world. He was also the reason Anna never allowed another man to look at her. He was tall; although slightly thin he was also quite muscular. His hair was silver, very long and sleek and his bangs were parted perfectly in the center, but raised over his face and fell to his neck on one side and his chin on the other. His face was flawless, not a bit of facial hair, with crystal green eyes that entranced Anna every time she looked into them. His skin was light and yet he never seemed pale. She noticed how in the past nine years since she had really gotten a good look at him he had grown into quite a breathtaking man. Sephiroth… that was his name… a name that had burned itself in her very being. When he turned to look at her as she and Kairi entered, Anna felt his gaze pierce trough her eyes into her soul. Her fathers following words seemed like a garbled message in her ears while she and Sephiroth stared at one another.

"Ah! Anna darling!" Ansem said. "Auron here was just giving me his weekly report!"

"Yes…" Auron grunted "Unfortunately there have still been more disappearances."

Anna tore her gaze away from Sephiroth's and looked at Auron. He was shorter than Sephiroth and much rougher around the edges. His dark hair was untidy and flecked with grey. His face bore a few scars as well as stubble. He always wore rounded sunglasses though they were at the tip of his nose a lot so Anna could still see his dark eyes.

He was once considered the greatest warrior in the world, but after being Sephiroth's teacher for a period of time Sephiroth surpassed him greatly in only a year. Now he was the chief of the Radiant Guard; not so much a fighter but more of a coordinator.

The Radiant Guard was the best known military force in the world. They patrolled the streets of Radiant Garden. They were security for the castle. They even branched out to the small farming villages. Since there was never any war they were mainly in charge of killing the dangerous beasts that dared to leave the forest and attack the city; once even a dragon attacked the city from high in the mountains. Sephiroth became famous for fighting off this terrifying creature in a great battle. All the young men in the world wanted to be a part of the Radiant Guard. Most, however just became grunts that preformed simple patrol tasks. Few got to part take in the great battles to protect the city. Only the truly skilled were assigned to such tasks.

Anna couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was still in shock from being thrown in the midst of the last man she wanted to face. She hurt him… she didn't deserve to even be in his presence.

"Yes it's a shame…" Said Ansem after an awkward silence. "I'm sure you both will get to the bottom of it sooner or later!"

"Thank you sir…"Said Auron turning back to face Ansem. Sephiroth, however, didn't follow suit. His gaze remained fixed on Anna. She felt like she was going to crumble under it.

"How are you, Anna?" he asked softly.

"F-Fine!" Anna stuttered in an unusually high pitched voice. It must have sounded very strange because everyone was suddenly looking at her again. She looked down at Kairi and blurted out the first thing to pop into her head.

"I'm going to make Kairi and myself some lunch! If you want I could whip something up for everyone!"

"No thank you Lady Anna…" Said Auron "We must be going now. We have much to do. If you'll excuse us Master Ansem…"

"Very well, Auron." Said Ansem. "Good to see you again!"

Sephiroth opened his mouth, almost as if he was going to protest leaving but reconsidered and shot Anna an apologetic look before following Auron out the door.

When they were gone Ansem turned to Anna and looked at her questioningly.

"He still loves you…" He said

Anna shook her head.

"Even if he did I don't deserve him…" She mumbled looking away.

"How so?" Said Ansem, almost in alarm "You're going to be the leader of these people one day!"

"Because I listened to my mother!" Anna spat at him, and she yanked Kairi through the door to the left of the entrance hall. From there they crossed the dining room and stormed into the kitchen. Almost at once she felt bad for what she had said. It wasn't his fault... but he could have stopped her mother a lot of times when she did those things and he never did… _"Listen to your mother Anna…" "Listen to your mother…"_ Anna realized that she was banging the dishes around and that tears were running down her face. She stopped for a moment to wipe her eyes then she realized Kairi was standing against the wall crying too.

'I'm sorry you had to see that baby…" Anna said massaging her forehead with her hand and leaning against the counter.

Kairi ran up to Anna and hugged her. Anna kneeled down and returned the hug. Kairi was still in tears, so Anna hummed a small tune in her ear, stroking her hair. That song was sung to her by Nana when Anna was little and she loved it so much she sang it to Kairi whenever the child was upset. The tune had a strange calming effect that soothed both of them. After a few minutes Kairi calmed down and looked up into Anna's eyes. She looked very serious.

"Don't cry anymore…" Said Kairi. "It makes me scared…"

"I won't sweetie." Said Anna stroking her hair some more.

Then she stood back up. She placed her hand on the counter and looked at it for a moment, lost in thought.

"I should say I'm sorry to him shouldn't I?" She finally said.

"Who?" Asked Kairi.

"Her father no doubt?" Said a curt voice coming from the door to the dining room.

"Hello Nana…" Said Anna turning to the lunch she had started to prepare to finish the job.

"Hello dearies!" Said Nana, her tone lightening up as she hobbled into the kitchen on her cane. "How about I finish this for you? Then you may talk to your father."

Nana was a short woman. Her hair was an untidy grey, almost white colored and tied back in a loose bun. She had a near ancient charm bracelet around her wrist that Anna had adored since childhood. She also wore the same dark red shawl all the time. She was Ansem's mother and although being a tutor she was stern sometimes she never had any negative intentions and sometimes was the only person that kept Anna sane in her years of growing up with the worst mother a girl could ever be forced to abide by.

"Alright, thank you Nana." Said Anna, abandoning her efforts and leaving the kitchen.

She walked into the entrance hall and entered the door right across from her. from there she walked down a long hall, some stairs, more hall and finally she reached the door to her father's study. She knocked on it gently.

"Come in." Came her father's voice.

Anna opened the door and walked in. Ansem was sitting at his desk, like usual, toiling over notes and research.

"Dad I…" Anna began but Ansem cut her off.

"It's alright Anna." He said looking up at her. "You've been under a lot of stress lately… and I know… some things your mother did were wrong… and I apologize for never stopping her…"  
Anna smiled. Her father always knew exactly what was on her mind but…

"Why didn't you?" Anna suddenly asked, the smile vanishing from her face.

"I think you of all people should know what it's like…" Said her father gingerly. "When you love someone so much… you are blinded by it…"

Anna thought that was a rather rash way of putting it but who was she kidding? She knew he was right. She leaned against the doorframe and nodded, looking at the floor.

"So it was her…" Anna said.

"Yes…" Said Ansem looking down at his paperwork. "Your mother was responsible for your son being taken away… but…"

"But what?" Anna asked looking back up at her father.

"I did not lie to you Anna…" Said Ansem, sighing. "I carried out your mothers orders and took the child away myself."

Anna felt a painful throb in the part of her heart that held her grief over losing her son.

"It's all over now…" Said Anna standing up straight. "No sense in dwelling on the past…"

"My thoughts exactly!" Said Ansem standing up. "But don't you think the General of the Radiant guard would be a perfect suitor for you? You're a grown woman now Anna… even if your mother had forbidden you from seeing him again I think you both have grown up and are responsible now… Besides, you need to think about settling down!"

"All the history though…" Said Anna glumly. "Even if we both still love each other do you think it will ever be the same?"

"Hearts are unpredictable Anna." Said Ansem walking up to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Who knows? It may even be better then before, but you will never know until you try!"

Anna smiled.

"How about some lunch, dad?" She said opening the door to the hallway up again.

"Sounds wonderful!" Said Ansem grinning back at her, and the two made their way back to the entrance hall.

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Sephiroth sat in his office. He didn't like it. Four walls… a desk… a chair… lots and lots of paperwork… A pen in hand… his other hand supporting his head as he stared blankly at the words he had just written down. The paper was atop a stack of others… first draft… second draft… He cursed and threw the pen down on the desk. It rolled onto the floor. He knew it must've been laughing at him.

He was still young for lord's sake! He shouldn't be stuck inside with a friggin report, on the recent increase in heartless creatures around the city, to do! He craved the outdoors and wide open spaces! He wanted to fight! There was nothing more exhilarating to him than swinging his long masamune around, slicing through the opposition and never even receiving a scratch…

He looked at the sword. It was propped up against the wall. It had been spending more time there than fighting these days… being the General of the Radiant Guard was harder than he thought, and the fact that he was only twenty five made him twice as antsy to get outside and actually _do _something. He joined the Radiant Guard specifically so he wouldn't have to do paper work…

He looked out the window. The streets of Radiant Garden were unusually quiet for this time of day. The very earth itself seemed to be holding its breath. There weren't even as many heartless crawling in the shadows of the alleys there normally were. They did not dare step into the sunlight. It was unfortunate that in the past year the heartless had grown so numerous and violent that all citizens were to stay indoors after twilight. When they fist started appearing many years ago they were practically harmless too. Sephiroth feared it had something to do with the scientific endeavors of their leader, Ansem the Wise, or at least one of his students. They had all been acting shady lately too. Not so much Dilan, Even, Braig, Ienzo or Elaeus but mostly Xehanort. The man was even acting like a heartless. He saw the students congregated at the fountain just outside the castle gates once and he couldn't help but notice how Xehanort seemed to remain in the shade the entire time.

Sephiroth heard a girl singing down the street just out of his sight. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the cool glass window, trying to make out the lyrics of the song.

_"Lay Down…_

_…Your sweet and weary head._

_Night is falling. _

_You've come to journey's end._

_Sleep now._

_…And dream of the ones that came before. _

_They are calling…_

_…From across the distant shore." _

No that wasn't what she was singing at all! Sephiroth realized that he had just made himself hear those lyrics. He wanted to hear them sung to him again so badly…the last time he heard that song… the _only_ time he heard that song… _She _sang it to him. He fell in love with those words… and the lips they came from. He had had an emotional breakdown… he was an orphan his whole life… his only purpose, it seemed, was to fight mindlessly. He smashed a few things in his piece of junk apartment then she arrived… sang him that song and…

Sephiroth's eyes flew open. His heart was beating unusually fast. The little girl's singing had stopped, and Zack was calling him from the hall. Sephiroth groaned. He had just returned from the castle with Auron and was not in the mood to talk to Zack. He had nothing against the young man but he seemed to talk quite a lot. Sephiroth's mind was racing and he was in no mood for an endless friendly chat. He had just seen the love of his life up close and face to face after years of not even daring to go near the castle grounds. She reacted to the sight of him quite strangely, he thought. The look in her eyes was a mix of surprise and sheer terror…

"SEPH! How's that report coming?!"

"Awesome…" Said Sephiroth sarcastically still leaning against the window as Zack waked into the office and plopped himself in a stray chair.

Zack Laughed.

"Well the first class Grunts have been having trouble too." Said Zack "Those heartless are getting a little bolder… we saw one attack someone in broad daylight today. They're getting stronger to-"

"Don't even!" Sephiroth interrupted him with a bark. "You get to fight in the streets and protect the people, exactly what you joined the Radiant Guard for. _I'm_ The one who's stuck in here writing reports and going over paperwork like a damn accountant!

He wheeled around while saying this and completed his statement by pounding his fist on his desk angrily.

Zack seemed so taken aback that even his long, spiky black hair seemed to wilt.

"Well aren't we in a snippy mood today!" He said coolly.

"Yep! Said Sephiroth flatly and with a flick of his hand an invisible force knocked Zack's chair over so hard he was sent skidding into the hall.

Another flick of Sephiroth's hand and the door slammed shut.

"Fine be that way!" Zack shouted through the closed door.

"I will!" Sephiroth shouted back.

That had certainly lightened his mood. He even felt slightly compelled to continue writing the blasted paper so he sat down and did just that.

When he, at last, finished the report the sun had already reached the danger zone in the sky. In other words, it was twilight. At last it was his time to patrol the streets. He jumped up from his chair, grabbed his sword and hurried out into the hall. Zack and the first and second class Grunts were waiting for him at the exit. Sephiroth approached them, clapped a hand on Zack's shoulder and looked over his squad for the evening.

"Let's go!" he said simply, and with that they all marched outside.

The fresh Air filled Sephiroth's lungs as they reached the open stone street, almost like new life in him. They spread out, half of the second class grunts and half of the first class grunts went in one direction with Zack while the rest followed Sephiroth then spreading out more with each street. Eventually everyone was with an assigned partner patrolling a certain area in pairs. Sephiroth's partner this evening was a young, second class man named Squall. Their route was through the back streets of Radiant Garden, the closest thing they had to a slum.

This was where orphans normally resided. They made homes for themselves within these shady buildings with barely any adults resided. As a result, this was where the heartless struck the most. These children had no adults to enforce the curfew so a few brave souls would attempt to stay out at night, never to be seen again. For when the heartless attack a person they leave no corpse, no markings, nothing to identify where their victims were attacked or who their victims were.

Once the two had separated from the rest of the group they had barely rounded the corner when they heard a loud yelp. Squall readied his weapon as did Sephiroth and they charged towards where they had heard the sound. When they reached the originating point they found two girls, one who looked to be the same age as Squall with brown hair tied neatly back in a ponytail and green eyed, the other looked to be a few years younger with black short hair and was unconscious. The two were under attack by a heartless clad in shaking clanking armor. Sephiroth stood back and allowed Squall to take care of this one. These breed of heartless were stronger than normal but they still were nothing a Radiant Guard couldn't handle. As Sephiroth predicted, Squall sliced directly through the creature with his gunblade and it disappeared in a black wisp, leaving behind something pink and glowing that disappeared almost instantly.

"Sir!" squeaked the older girl. "Can you help us?"

"What's wrong?" Asked Sephiroth. "What happened?"

"My friend Yuffie wanted to fight off some of those…um…heartless things…" Said the older girl. "I tried to stop her and we ended up here and we don't know our way back and…"

She burst into tears.

"Calm down!" Said Sephiroth. "It'll be okay."

He turned to Squall.

"Can you get them home?" He asked. "I'll finish up the rounds for tonight quick."

"Kay…" Mumbled Squall.

He walked up to the girls and picked up the unconscious one. The other one followed him as they disappeared back around the corner. Sephiroth prepared his sword and walked carefully through the darkened streets. To his surprise they were oddly quiet. He began to pick up his pace. He was reminded of all the times he took Anna back here… all the lives they saved… all the lives they failed to save... he had spent all that time shaping her into a perfect warrior; teaching her everything Auron taught him, and then some.

His footsteps quickened.

They snuck around as two wild warriors; partners in justice. Auron didn't know, Anna's parents didn't know. They were an unstoppable team!

He broke into a run.

Then he just HAD to develop feelings for her! He just HAD to act on them… he just HAD to kiss her that one moment… if it had been any other moment maybe it wouldn't have lead to what it did…. But it was that moment… that particular time when their emotions were high and they threw caution to the wind letting their instincts get the better of them and…

Sephiroth came to an abrupt halt. Was that screaming he heard? Yes… now that he listened he heard numerous screams coming from all over the city.

"What the…?" He said to himself.

Just then, a huge heartless appeared out of nowhere next to him. It had a hand like a giant mace, which it was swinging heavily in all directions. Sephiroth swung at it. The heartless wrapped its arm around Sephiroth's sword but it was unable to disarm him because Sephiroth reacted quickly with a hard kick into its body. He freed his blade and attempted to slice through the heartless but instead of the usual non resistant sweep he was used to experiencing, the blade come across some friction. It was almost as if the darkness this creature was comprised of was thicker and jagged. Sephiroth actually had to strain his arms to cut through its massive form.

When the heartless vanished he felt a sudden shaking below his feet. The shaking grew greater in magnitude with every second. Sephiroth fell to his hands and knees preparing himself to dodge falling debris; however, as soon as it started he massive quake stopped. Sephiroth stood up and heard even more screams now with the sounds of breaking glass and even loud creaking sounds… like pieces of houses being torn off. He took off in the direction he came. Heartless were springing up all over the place. Sephiroth slashed through them with ease but he prayed that he would not be confronted with anything bigger than what he encountered before. If there was one like that here… there must've been more in the main areas of the city; even the residential places.

He finally reached the main streets and was subjected to a terrifying sight. Smoke, fire, houses burning, larger heartless than he had ever seen ripping through buildings and attacking every human it saw. Sephiroth looked up into the sky and his heart sank. There, atop the castle, was a great dark hole in the sky from which heartless were pouring and dark bolts of lighting shot out across the darkening sky, hitting everything. Suddenly a loud booming voice echoed across the streets of the city, making Sephiroth jump out of his state of shock. It was the voice of Ansem the Wise, talking over a citywide announcer system.

"ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS! ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS! OUR WORLD IS UNDER ATTACK! I REPEAT: OUR WORLD IS UNDER ATTACK! I ADVISE EVERYONE TO HURRY TO THEIR DESIGNATED GUMMI SHIP HANGAR FOR EVACUATION! ALL PILOTS REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED GUMMI SHIPS IMMIDIATELY! ALL FAMILIES STICK TOGETHER! ALL SOLDIERS PROTECT FAMILIES DURING THE EVACUATION BUT BE SURE TO REPORT TO YOUR DESIGNATED HANGAR AS WELL. ALL GUMMI SHIPS MEET IN THE DESIGNATED EVACUATION AIRSPACE IN ONE HOUR! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BRING ANY MEANINGLESS POSSES…

The system suddenly shut off with a bang and squeak of a microphone.

"OH GOD!" screamed a nearby mother with her children "HE'S DEAD!"

Sephiroth leapt into the street and began fighting off heartless with the other Soldiers feverishly. Unfortunately there seemed to be no end to them in sight. Sephiroth managed to guard the woman and her children until she reached her Gummi Hangar. Gummi Hangars were only big enough to hold two to three Gummi Ships, but they were placed everywhere in the city. If it ever came under attack, the enemies would have to search for and destroy each one which was far more time consuming than a single hangar.

The pilots were already set to go in this particular hangar which made Sephiroth feel better about the evacuation. These men had been trained in this field of action non stop since Ansem the Wise began this program upon the arrival of Gummi ship Technology. When Sephiroth left the hangar he watched the Gummi ship take off, and then continued through the streets. His mind was buzzing but he couldn't help but feel a deep fear in the pit of his stomach that something terrible had happened to Anna, she was alive… but suffering…. He wanted to go to the castle and find out just what was going on there.

It wasn't long before he saw the back of Zack's head in a mass of heartless, fighting them off with a blonde haired, blue eyed young man by his side. It was Zack's patrol partner, Cloud.

"ZACK!" He called out. "CLOUD!"

The two turned to look at him. Sephiroth charged forward and cleared the majority of the heartless out of the way with one sweep of his sword.

"Oh man am I glad to see you!" Said Zack as Sephiroth reached them. "This whole thing just came out of nowhere!"

"I know." Sephiroth panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Have you seen Squall?"

"Yeah!" Cloud piped up. "I saw him just a few minutes ago! He was taking Aries and Yuffie to their hangar…."

"Oh!" Said Sephiroth. Cloud must have been referring to the girls they had found. "Have you seen the royal Gummi cruiser pilot heading to the castle at all?"

"What? Cid?" Asked Zack. Cleaving a few approaching heartless in half with his massive Buster Sword. "No, he was helping Squall with the girls…"

"Dammit!" Sephiroth cursed out loud. "That no good, son of a…"

"Seph… if yer gonna trash talk bout me, least be kind enough not to do it behind ma back!" Shouted a voice behind them. Cid had been fighting his way to them for the past few minutes without them even knowing. He was a little older than Sephiroth, with short, dirty blonde hair and a cigarette always hanging out of his mouth. He was the best pilot in Radiant Garden, but had always had a weak spot for fighting instead of doing his duty. He was far too compassionate for his own good in Sephiroth's opinion. His weapon was a long javelin spear which he currently had stuck through three heartless at the same time.

"Cid!" Shouted Sephiroth with rage. "Why the HELL aren't you up at the castle?!"

"What'd you think I've been tryin' to do?" Cid Shouted back. "If a person begs for yer help you don't just pass 'em by!"

He looked up at the castle behind him and wiped some sweat from his brow.

"Shit I don't think I can make it up there…" He said gesturing to the terrifying looking heartless patrolling the castle grounds and gardens.

There was a loud crash and all four men turned in the direction it came from. A giant heartless comprised entirely of ice and another of rock were smashing their way though the city, knocking down houses and Gummi ships attempting takeoff.

All four men said a different curse at the same time.

"We can't keep this up…" Zack moaned. "I can't take on a thing like THAT!"

"I bet we can do it all together!" Said Cloud trying to cheer Zack up.

"Not with all the heartless between here and them we cant!" Said Sephiroth. He was getting tired too. They had to smack away larger and larger amounts of the foul creatures even as they stood there.

"I think the only way for us all to survive this is to get to that castle cruiser…" Said Cid. "I know a back way in… so we don't gotta go through the castle"

"NO!" Said Sephiroth. "We have to check the castle for survivors!"

He was getting more and more worried about Anna with every agonizingly slow second passing him by.

"Seph'roth we need to be outta here in twenty minutes or that big 'ol black thing in the sky is gonna swallow us all up!" Said Cid anxiously.

"You go get the Gummi ship ready!" Said Sephiroth to all three of the men. "I'll go search the castle for anyone alive and if I'm not on that Gummi Ship in fifteen minutes leave without me!"

"No way I'm letting you do that alone!" Said Zack "I'm going with you! Cloud, you stay with Cid!"

"NO!" Said Cloud shaking his head. "I'm going too!"

"Well I aint goin there alone!" Said Cid waving his spear in the air. "Guess I'm coming too!"

"Fine!" Said Sephiroth "But don't blame me if you all die!"

"Nah!" Said Zack, grinning. "It'll be fun!"

There was a large explosion not far behind them and all four young men looked over the city one last time. The sun had set and everything was illuminated by the flames that spread all throughout the city at this point. There were no more Gummi ships attempting to take off. No one in the city had to be alive anymore at this point, thought Sephiroth. Anna though… he knew she was still alive, he could feel it. Or maybe he merely wanted her to be alive so badly that he was triggering a false sense of hope within himself. Either way, the castle was the only place to run to at this point, and run they did.


	2. The Descent into Darkness Chapters: 2

CHAPTER II

Anna's head was spinning. Her mind was racing. The events of the past few hours spun in her head like a fish caught in a vortex. She was slouched over; the axe in her hand was resting its tip on the stone floor. She stared at the door in front of her. It stood in the center of the deepest depths of the castle catacombs. At a first glance it would seem to be standing upright in the middle of the room. One would think that a push of the door would send it falling right over, but it did not. It appeared that the door would lead to nothing, that it was completely useless. However, once opened it revealed a secret, a portal, something Anna did not even know existed, until now.

She looked at it, not believing what she had just done. The sounds of banging and screaming on the door had ceased a few minutes ago. Now she just had to raise the axe… strike the door with it… and chop it to pieces… never to be remade again… But she couldn't do it, she just couldn't do it. The afternoon had all just flashed by, and then suddenly something went wrong, terribly wrong.

It began with a strange scent wafting through the castle. It was oddly metallic and made Anna's head feel heavy and cause it to ache slightly. Whenever she asked someone if they smelled it too they would admit that they didn't. The smell got stronger and stronger through the afternoon until evening when it caused Anna to lose what food she had in her stomach. Ansem insisted that Anna had a mere virus and told her to get some bed rest. Anna decided to take his advice and go to her room for a nap. Unfortunately as soon as Anna laid her head down to sleep she heard Nana shriek at the top of her lungs downstairs, then a servant's shriek followed. Soon, there was yelling and screaming all around the castle. Anna had gotten out of bed and taken her old sword out of the closet as well as a dagger with a holster witch she strapped to her thigh. She remembered knowing that she would need both those things judging by the amount of chaos that seemed to be ensuing downstairs.

When she had got up a strange tremor shook the castle and she remembered falling on her face painfully and realizing this situation was far worse than she thought. She had run downstairs to see exactly what was happening. She was met with a terrifying sight of what seemed like wisps of thick black smoke creeping down the walls of the entrance hall from the floor above but also up the walls and across the floor from the basement. There were heartless pouring out of portals that appeared in random places all over. Most of them made for the door outside but Anna had arrived just in time to see them finishing off the last of the castle servants by digging their claws into the chests of their poor victims and ripping out their hearts. Anna had shrieked at the sight of Nana's shawl lying unoccupied on the floor along with her old charm bracelet. She had also had a sudden panic attack when she realized Kairi might have already fallen victim to this terrible fate as well. She grabbed Nana's bracelet and had fought her way to her father's office where she found Kairi safe and sound while her father was running about the room grabbing every bit of research notes he had.

He told her the forbidden door had been opened; that strange door in the basement of the castle that had been there since Xehanort had found it not long ago. With its opening came a rift of darkness torn in the very fabric of their world's existence. They were under attack by the darkness and could do nothing else but flee. The world would be destroyed in a matter of hours. He told Anna that he was preserving his research so he could continue it elsewhere but Kairi needed to be taken to safety. He handed her the axe and told her to take Kairi though the secret passageway beneath the library to the catacombs that lay below the basement. He said the heartless have not yet infiltrated the castle that far. He explained that there was a door in the bottom-most room that led to another world. It was the only way in or out of that particular world and that Kairi would only be safe there. He then told her that once Kairi want through the door Anna had to destroy it with the axe and not, under any circumstances, follow Kairi into that world. He did no more explaining than that. He merely told her to meet him at the secret Gummi hangar behind the castle and underground in a half hour were they would wait for their pilot and hopefully evacuate. He also said that he would need to send the evacuation notice to the city so the pilot of their ship would know to come.

Anna did not want to force Kairi away from her but her father seemed almost desperate to get her away from them. Anna knew that her father had been studying this for a long time and his judgment had to be the best for Kairi so without a word she took Kairi and the axe to the library, through the catacombs and finally to the door she stood in front of now. Kairi seemed almost willing to go through the door but Anna couldn't bear to let her go so easily, so she gave Kairi the only thing she had on her at the time of any sentimental value; Nana's charm bracelet. Their goodbye was brief, Anna told Kairi never to forget her and Kairi gave a silent nod. She walked through the door bravely and Anna shut it behind her. there was a moment of silence when Anna had readied the axe then Kairi started banging and screaming on the door.

"I CHANGED MY MIND I DON'T WANNA GO!!! ANNA!! ANNA!! ANNNNAAAAAAA!!!!"

Anna held the door tight, tears streaming down her face.

"I love you, Kairi…" She said softly pressing her head against the door, not allowing it to budge. The screams stopped, there was silence.

Now five minutes had passes and the axe seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in Anna's hands.

She had to do it… she had to do it…

There were the sudden sounds of crashes and footsteps on the floor above her.

Kairi was depending on her… she had to do it…

She raised the axe and buried it into the top of the door, splitting it halfway down the middle. Another swing and a chunk fell to the floor. Anna kept her eyes shut swinging stupidly at the door over and over again. They were down the hall… she sounds of the heartless's scurrying footsteps reached Anna's ears. She opened her eyes and saw the door in pieces at her feet. The torches in the room were getting darker.The horrid metallic smell was getting worse and worse, it made her stomach churn. Anna brought the axe down a few more times, making sure the door could never be re assembled. She picked up a small chunk and put it in the breast pocket of her mini jacket. Then she dropped the axe, collapsed to her knees and broke into loud sobs, covering her face with her hands. The room got darker… the smell got stronger… then she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.

"My…my… Anna… what a mess you've made…" said a mans voice

Anna recognized the voice and felt a chill down her spine. She leapt up and turned to face him. It was Xehanort. But… he looked different. His clothes were different, his skin seemed darker, his hair was less messy and he bore a heartless scar on his chest. Anna was confused. Only heartless creatures had that marking on them…. Did Xehanort turn himself into a heartless?!

"Xehanort…" Anna said, her voice overflowing with rage. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

"I merely stripped away the parts of me that held me down…" Xehanort said, smiling coolly. "I am now a far more superior being than I once was… without a shell limiting my channeling of the great power of darkness!"

"That wasn't what I meant!" Anna snapped. "The world is about to be destroyed and I KNOW you had something to do with it!"

Anna suddenly noticed the massive amounts of heartless that were appearing in the room. She backed towards the wall

"The world is not being destroyed Anna!" Said Xehanort following Anna. "It is merely going back to the darkness that bore it. I am giving your people and your world the freedom and power that darkness can offer."

Anna's back was now completely against the wall. Xehanort was drawing closer and closer to her.

"How?!" Anna cried "By turning them into those…those THINGS?!"

She pointed at the heartless slowly enveloping the room.

"They will learn in time that this was best for them even if they do not know it now." Said Xehanort, calmly. "When they do, they shall become far more supreme beings, such as myself…."

He drew himself so close to Anna that his face was mere inches from hers. She could feel his icy breath on her cheeks. The strange smell was so strong now it made her dizzy. She knew what it was now. It was the smell of darkness. She had to get out of here… if she was ever going to see Kairi again she had to live through this no matter what!

"Now then…" Said Xehanort placing a finger under Anna's chin. "There is one problem..."

Anna felt Xehanort grip her arm with his other hand so tightly it hurt.

"I did manage to open that door your father so stupidly forbade me from doing… but there is a greater power that is locked even farther inside it, a darkness so strong it can fulfill my plan to turn the universe to darkness…" Xehanort continued. "This power can only be with the help of a special key... a key who's bearer a certain princess would draw to her…"

"P…princess?" Anna squeaked. The pain in her arm and the smell of darkness was clouding her mind so badly she felt as if she was going to faint.

"Yes…" Said Xehanort softly in her hear. "…but it seems your father and yourself have deliberately hidden her from me…"

Anna's eyes shot open.

"Kairi!" she gasped.

"Very good…" Xehanort said teasingly "…and you know I'm going to have to punish you for this… like I did your father…"

Anna had little time to react. Xehanort stepped back from her and, with incredible strength, yanked Anna away from the wall and smashed her back into it so hard she collapsed onto the floor.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FATHER?!" She screamed.

"Oh don't worry…" Said Xehanort. "I merely banished him to the realm of darkness; he will never get the pleasure of becoming a powerful entity of darkness like the rest of your people."

He then looked directly down at Anna with a stern and cold facial expression.

"I'm sure you don't know this but that world is quite a difficult one to find!" Xehanort said, his tone was now icy and laced with rage although he still remained calm. "Unlike all other worlds that one had a very strong barrier about it making it difficult to penetrate with even the most powerful of darkness… the only easy way into it was through the door you just smashed!"

Anna glared up at him. She couldn't seem to say anything, though. Her head was swimming. Xehanort kneeled down to her eye level.

"Do you have any idea… how long it's going to take for me to complete my plans thanks to you?" He hissed, grabbing Anna by the shoulders. She looked straight in to his eyes.

"Yeah…" She said sharply. "Long enough for us to stop you!"

Xehanort laughed out loud.

"You and what army?" he sad, thoroughly amused. "As far as I can tell you're the only one left in your pathetic state of humanity on this world. So who is going to help you...? The so called key bearer? I was going to send The Princess off into the sea of worlds, knowing she would eventually return to me, to find him so I may use his power to unlock the great darkness I mentioned earlier… but you already saw to the annihilation of that plan."

Anna felt a rage boiling inside her.

"Sephiroth" She mumbled.

"What?"

"SEPHIROTH!" she repeated. "He's still alive… He will destroy you! He's far more powerful than you will ever be!"

Xehanort burst into laughter once more.

"Are you saying that your dearest Sephiroth is the key bearer?" he sneered.

"No…" Said Anna. "He doesn't have to be! He'll still destroy you! You know how strong he is! You're afraid of him! You always have been!"

Xehanort suddenly looked enraged. He grabbed Anna by her collar and brought her face mere inches from his once more.

"You think I am intimidated by that pathetic excuse for a man?!" he snarled. "I would have never gotten you into as much trouble as he did! He may be strong but he is an idiot! His heart is weak and his mind is weaker! There is no doubt in my mind that he has already succumbed to the darkness!"

He threw Anna against the wall again, but this time she stood right back up. She had never been more furious in her life.

"It doesn't matter now…" Said Xehanort calming himself. "I know exactly what that world looks like anyway… besides I already have allies as well… no one can stop me!"

He grabbed Anna once again but this time he held onto her by her waist, his grip was still painfully firm however.

"I almost forgot…" He said. "Do you know how I saw that world? It was back when your mother told me to take your bastard son though that door to a family in that world so you would NEVER find him! You should feel honored… I told his adopted parents the name you gave him and they kept it."

"Riku…" Anna said. The pain from years past suddenly wrenched itself free from its prison in her chest.

What had she done? She just destroyed her only hope of ever seeing her son again! She felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes… there it is!" Xehanort said softly. "There's the pain I wanted to see! All those years of rejection, wanting nothing more than to make you mine… still… why not now…?"

Anna suddenly became alarmed when Xehanort pressed his body to hers and brought his lips so close to Anna's they were almost touching.

"Perhaps your punishment will be belonging to me…" He said, his voice remaining soft but still so cold it sent shivers down Anna's spine. "…For as long as you live… never becoming a heartless… enduring the pain of your hatred for me and the darkness torturing your weak flesh"

Anna struggled but couldn't free herself from Xehanort's lustful grasp. Xehanort quickly and violently locked his jaw with hers and forcibly engaged her in a long, open mouthed kiss. Anna tried again and again to pull herself away but to no avail.

What was she doing? She was never this helpless before! She closed her eyes and attempted to think back to what Sephiroth had taught her all those years ago, and what they had learned together. It suddenly all came back to her in a rush. She felt her desire to hurt Xehanort and get out of this place light a powerful fire in her breast. When Xehanort broke away from her she smashed her head into his. His grip on her loosened and Anna managed to get free enough to reach the dagger on her thigh holster. Xehanort tried to leap out of the way but Anna was quick enough to deliver a large gash across his chest and his left arm. He cried out in rage and doubled back as his blood splattered the floor. Now Anna had the chance to take her sword out from its sheath on her back. She wasn't going to attempt to fight him. She knew better than that. She had little time left before the world would be overtaken by darkness and she needed that time to escape. She needed the sword for protection from the heartless that were now advancing upon her. She sliced though most of them before she ran towards the room's exit. Just as she was leaving she turned around and looked at the sorry state Xehanort was in.

"So this is your powerful darkness?" She sneered. "That was pathetic!"

Xehanort laughed softly.

"This would have killed a normal man." He said removing his arm from his wound; Anna noticed that it had already started healing itself. "Don't worry… in five minutes I'll be fine again… besides… Once I find more darkness I will become so powerful that your silly little dagger won't make even a scratch."

He looked up at Anna and grinned.

"You'd better run." he said.

Anna thought that was a good idea. So she ran.  
She ran through the endless and terrifying halls of the catacombs not daring to look behind her as heartless swarmed her digging their claws into her skin. The pain was excruciating and at certain points she couldn't help but cry out. The claws left smaller marks than it felt like they were leaving, but the tips of their claws felt as if they were doused in acid or were white hot knives.

The catacombs seemed like an endless maze and it felt like centuries before Anna burst through the door to the library. She slammed it shut behind her before any heartless could make it through and barricaded it with a chair. Then, as if luck hadn't spit in her face enough, the heartless began squeezing effortlessly under the door and around it in every crevice possible, like they could easily become as flat as the shadows they embodied. Anna screamed with rage and took out the first few heartless with a hefty swing of her sword before remembering that she was running from them. She rushed out into the entrance hall and finally the pain of all her wound s and the exhaustion of running made her collapse. She suddenly became aware of the fact that she was completely paralyzed from the neck down. Anna looked at herself and realized that a dark circle had appeared under her and tendrils of darkness were sprouting from it, wrapping her limbs and immobilizing her completely; her breathing was shortening, her eyes began to cloud over. She had an unshakeable feeling that she was falling. She wanted to scream for help but her voice was gone. Through the fog that was clouding her mind, Anna heard a shrieking laughter in the entrance hall somewhere.

"PATHETIC FOOL!" Said an unfamiliar voice. Anna could tell, however, that the owner of the voice was some sort of woman. "NO ONE CAN STAND UP TO THE POWER OF DARKNESS! THIS CASTLE SHALL NOW BELONG TO THE GREAT WITCH MALEFICENT!"

No… Anna thought. Not yet… I can't… Kairi… Riku… Sephiroth...

…somebody please…help me…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"MOVE IT YOU TWO! FORGET ABOUT THEM LETS GO!"

Sephiroth was getting rather annoyed with Cloud and Zack. They were continuously attempting to take on any heartless they spotted on the way up to the castle, making the jaunt that much slower. Cid wasn't pleased with them either. He looked about ready to blow up at them too.

"You don't have to be so nasty about it…" Grumbled Zack, slouching over and following Sephiroth away from his next heartless victims. Cloud trotted after him looking ashamed and embarrassed.

"Sorry…" Said Sephiroth, exasperated. "But we need to hurry…"

"Hold on!" Said Cid, freezing in his steps and holding out a hand behind him to stop the others. "D'ya hear that?!"

Everyone froze too. Then Sephiroth heard it; loud, high pitched laughter coming from the castle entrance hall.

"What the hell is that?!" Sephiroth asked.

"Don't know…" Said Cid. "But I don't like it…"

Sephiroth suddenly felt like something sharp had just prodded the back of his mind. Like a harsh warning of some sort, then he felt his anxiety of Anna's safety coat his insides as if he had just swallowed an ice cube. She was in pain… terrible pain! If he didn't get to her soon…

He took off in a dead run towards the castle, leaving is comrades behind. He readied his sword as he approached the front doors. He charged up his internal energy and, using his sword, unleashed it upon the doors causing them to shatter in a great explosion. Not even daring to hesitate, Sephiroth ran as fast as he could past the falling rubble into the entrance hall. When he was inside he stopped dead at the sight of what the castle had become. There were tendrils of darkness engulfing the floors, walls and ceiling. Bits of the castle were crumpling to the floor, there were serving trays and various other items scattered about the entrance hall as if they had been dropped suddenly. Heartless were crawling everywhere. But that wasn't what disturbed him the most. What caused him to stop dead was the sight of Anna half consumed by the tendrils of darkness emerging in great quantities around her and wrapping her within them. More horrifying yet was the witch standing beyond Anna with her arms raised into the air as the heartless approached Anna, preparing to remover her heart. The witch was garbed in a black robe with purple lining. The robe rose up into a large collar around her neck. She wore a hood that hugged her face tightly and also had large horns curving up out of her head. Her skin was smooth but sickly pale and her eyes were a fearsome black surrounded by green. She had an insane grin on her face.

"NO!" Sephiroth howled angrily. He bolted into the room and slashed away as many heartless as he could. He was growing exhausted but he still fought them away with ease.

"IDIOT!" The witch screamed. "YOU'RE GETTING IN THE WAY! GET OUT NOW OR I SHALL DISPOSE OF YOU MYSELF!"

"You have no idea who you're dealing with do you?" Sephiroth said, wiping his hair out of his sweaty face.

"GET HIM!" The witch cried pointing to Sephiroth.

The heartless turned their attention from Anna to Sephiroth. They began to creep towards him Sephiroth knew he didn't have the time to deal with all of them let alone the witch. The darkness was already beginning to snuff out the lights in the castle. He had to take them all out with one attack. He grinned and closed his eyes, reaching into the deepest depths of his soul to perform the deadliest technique he knew. He felt around with his mind until he found it. Yes this one would do nicely! He raised his arms and felt his mind extend them to the farthest reaches of space. He clasped every asteroid he could hold and with a great pull of this mental force brought them all down. Soon the room was filled with flaming meteors crashing through the castle roof and crushing everything in Sephiroth's way. The witch fell victim to a rather large one he had reserved specifically for her. She vanished with an angry scream and the heartless fell back.

The dark tendrils entrapping Anna vanished and she fell face first onto the floor from her knees. She gasped as if she was taking in air after being under water too long and stretched out her arm to the floor in an attempt to move herself. Sephiroth ran to her side, dropped his sword and picked her up in his arms. He held her face up to look directly at her; her breathing was labored and raspy, there were bruises and swollen cuts all over her body and she was trembling a considerable amount. Sephiroth had a sinking feeling that he was too late. He looked into her eyes praying that they would focus back upon him.

"Anna…" He said desperately, shaking her a bit. He found himself choking back tears. "ANNA!"

He realized in his absentmindedness that day he had completely forgotten to bring his "cure" spell along with him on the patrol. Of all the days to forget…

He hugged Anna close to him and did everything in his power to hold back his tears. This couldn't be… This wasn't supposed to happen…

"Dammit…" He cursed under his breath. "Dammit to hell…"

"S…Sephiroth…?" Came a muffled voice.

Sephiroth's heart skipped a beat. He unclenched Anna from his chest and looked at her. She looked back at him. Her eyes were glazed with pain but they were focused on him now. She reached a shaking hand up to his face and placed it on his cheek, smiling. Sephiroth placed his hand over it and held it tight. Anna's smile suddenly vanished and was replaced with a look of terrible grief.

"Nana…Kairi…Dad…" She muttered in a daze. Then she said a name that Sephiroth hadn't heard in a long time. The very sound of it made his lungs suddenly seize up. "Riku…"

"Riku!? What about Riku?" He said. He could not forget the name of his son. It pained him deeply that he never even saw the child. Did she know where he was?!

Anna shook her head, biting her lip. Sephiroth sighed, disappointed. There was a moment's silence, then:

"What in the name o' crap happened 'ere?" Cid's voice shattered the quiet.

"You don't want to know…" Sephiroth grumbled, not taking his eyes off Anna.

"Seph!" Panted Zack as he ran to Sephiroth's side. "We gotta move, all the heartless are leaving the city and heading for the castle!"

"Are there any other survivors?" Asked Cloud as he too joined them.

Sephiroth looked at Anna.

"Anna?" He said gently. "Where is everyone else?"

Anna shook her head. Her eyes were shut tightly and her face contorted with pain

"Gone…" She mumbled "All gone…"

"Ansem?"

Anna shook her head.

"Kairi?"

Anna shook her head.

"Ansem's mother?"

"GONE!" Anna wailed.

"What about the students?"

Anna's eyes flew open in terror. She crossed her arms over her torso tightly as if she was shielding her body from something.

"Anna what's wrong?" Asked Sephiroth, very seriously.

"NO!" Anna shrieked and curled into a ball, shaking. "I WON'T!"

"She's delirious Seph…" Said Zack, shaking his head.

"She's in a lot of pain…" Said Sephiroth. He picked up his sword from the floor and put it in its holster on his waist. Then he stood up with Anna curled up in his arms.

There was a deafening crash outside.

"We best be gettin a move on!" Cid said, running past them to door in the back of the entrance hall. "This way!"

They all followed him through the door. Behind it was a well decorated foyer that now lay in ruin. Heartless suddenly started appearing all around them. Sephiroth looked at Zack and Cloud. They nodded and began killing the heartless as Cid searched to room for something. It wasn't long before he found it; a button under the arm of the largest chair in the room. When he pressed the button, the floor in the middle of the room fell away to reveal a staircase spiraling downward.

"GO! GO! GO!" Cid yelled leaping down the stairs first with his javelin at the ready.

Sephiroth followed him while Cloud and Zack took up the rear. They ran, stumbling, though a dark, winding passageway for a while before they came to a very large room that's only light was a large red, glowing button on the wall to the right. Cid hit it and there was a great cracking noise before the ceiling parted and the moonlight of the night sky shown down upon a large, well crafted and sleek Gummi ship.

"Beautiful!" Said Cid.

Sephiroth could tell that Cid must've been grinning even though he couldn't see him in the dark. Cid ran up to the ship, pressed a button on the bottom and a ramp came down from the hull. Lights from inside the ship illuminated the large room. It was a hangar, of course, lined with steel and appeared to be buried behind the castle. And buried was the correct term because Sephiroth suddenly realized all the dirt and debris that had fallen into the hangar when it was opened.

"All aboard!" said Cid waving everybody in.

They obeyed and ran into the ship.

"The medical bay is in that room there!" Said Cid pointing to a nearby door. "Take Anna in there. The rest of ya git in a chair with a belt and for god's sake hold on tight!"

Sephiroth pressed the button next to the door cid had pointed to and it slid open with a hiss. The medical bay awaiting him had a single cot extending from the wall and shelves of securely encased medical supplies. Sephiroth laid Anna on the cot and, following Cid's advice, strapped her down tightly then found a convenient handle on the wall to hold on to. Within moments he felt the ship shudder as it turned on and then it tiled upwards. Sephiroth held on tight but he feared it wasn't going to be enough. Just as he predicted, as soon as the ship took off the force was so great he let go and slammed his head on the side of the cot. It didn't knock him out because he seemed to have a high tolerance for damage but it sure as hell hurt a lot. He swore loudly at the pain.

When the ship pulled into a safer position Sephiroth stood up and walked out to the cockpit.

"Are we steady now?" He asked Cid, bitterly.

"Yeah…" Said Cid. "Looks like we got out of there not a moment too soon… Radiant Garden has completely disappeared off the radar…

Sephiroth's stomach turned and seized up. Then suddenly a voice buzzed in on the speakers on the dashboard of the ship.

"ROYAL CRUISER! ROYAL CRUISER! CID IS THAT YOU?!"

"Ten four Murkus!" Said Cid picking up a small cylindrical shaped microphone and talking into it. "This is the royal cruiser! How many ships made it out?"

"ABOUT TWENTY…" Murkus buzzed back. "WHO YOU GOT ON THERE CID?"

Sephiroth knew there were at least forty Gummi ships hidden in the city. He felt his heart skink. Less than half of the people had made it out…

"We got two Soldiers, General Sephiroth and Lady Annaleah." Said Cid.

There was a pause.

"IS LORD ANSEM WITH YOU?" Murkus asked. He sounded intensely worried.

"I'm sorry Murkus…" Said Cid, his voice was laced with a bit of grief. "Ansem the wise is not on board… by the time we made it to the castle Lady Anna was the only one left alive…"

There was another pause.

"VERY WELL…" Murkus buzzed in. "I'LL INFORM THE OTHERS…"

Sephiroth knew this was a crisis. Anna wouldn't be ready to handle the responsibilities of leadership of the people, alone. She most likely wouldn't accept help from him either. Perhaps Auron could help…

Sephiroth's stomach dropped. Auron! He had been so worried about Anna during the evacuation that he had completely forgotten about his former master!

"Cid!" Said Sephiroth hurriedly. "Ask the other pilots If Auron is on any of the ships!"

Cid nodded.

"General Sephiroth wants to know if Auron is aboard any of the ships!" He said while pressing a button on the dashboard to communicate with all the Gummi Ships.

Sephiroth felt a terrible sickness in his gut as each ship buzzed back with "NO…" "NOPE!" "NOT HERE…" "SORRY… NOT HERE…" "HE'S NOT HERE…" "SORRY GENERAL…"

As all the comebacks finally ceased Sephiroth felt the sick feeling intensify greatly. Auron was gone… He was truly alone. He and Anna were the only authority figures left now. He wondered if Anna would be able to handle being a leader in a crisis like this, alone. He would have to help any way he could but the sudden burden of responsibilities would most likely be a difficult one for both of them to bear. They just had to do what they could for now…

"Do we have anywhere to go from here?" Sephiroth asked Cid.

Cid sighed, put his face in his hands and rubbed his forehead.

"There's a town in another world that wasn't built too long ago that's fer refugees like us…" He said after a long pause. "Ansem the Wise programmed it into the Gummi ship databases so they can drive themselves there. But it will be a few days before we'll reach it…"

Sephiroth sighed and collapsed in a chair next to Cid.

"When are we leaving for it?" He asked.

"As soon as all they ships radio in that they are ready…" Said Cid. "We need time to get our bearings then we'll be off…"

Zack and Cloud entered the cockpit.

"Hey Seph we heard Anna moaning in the medical bay…" Said Zack sitting in the chair behind him. "You might wanna go take a look at her…"

"Right…" Said Sephiroth, standing up. "This isn't going to be pretty…"

He knew plenty of first Aid from all his training classes but he wasn't sure if he was fully qualified to be a doctor. He had to do something about Anna's wounds, though. They couldn't afford to wait to get to the town Cid spoke of for a real doctor. When he entered the medical bay Anna's moaning appeared to have stopped but he could tell she was still conscious since her face was still contorted with pain.

"Nana…" She groaned. "Kairi…Dad…"

Sephiroth sat on the cot and put his hand to her check.

"Why…" Anna said "Why did he lie…?"

"Lie about what?" Sephiroth attempted to ask.

But sure enough he got no response, so he took the straps off of Anna and examined her wounds carefully. There were numerous swollen scratches on her arms and back… those could easily be healed with the bits of cure and potions in the first aid kits… there was a large gash on her thigh that worried him. He might have to stitch that one up. There were more scratches on her legs but these were deeper and some were bleeding. There was also a good sized cut on Anna's chest just above her left breast. Sephiroth suddenly panicked, realizing that he would have to take off most of Anna's clothes in order to heal most of her wounds. But then again… her clothes were practically hanging off of her since they were torn in so many places. He needed to find her some proper clothing…

"Zack!" she shouted.

Cloud came to his call instead.

"Zack's helping Cid with the Gummi maps…" He said shyly "do you need help with something?"

"Yeah…" Said Sephiroth. "Anna has her own quarters in this ship right?"

"Yes I saw her room when Zack and I were looking for a place to buckle in." Said Cloud.

"Go into it and find some clothes for her…" Said Sephiroth. "Nothing fancy but something decent."

"Gotcha." Said Cloud, and he disappeared down the corridor.

"Maleficent!!" Anna suddenly shrieked, grabbing the sleeve of Sephiroth's coat.

Sephiroth stared at her. She stared at him with a wild look in her eyes. She was getting more and more delirious, he had to work quickly. As he sifted though the medical supplies he found only a few potions, barely enough for all her cuts and scratches let alone for use as a pain killer for her larger wounds as he stitched them together. He managed to find a sleep potion which he decided to use on Anna to put her into a deep sleep for a few hours; enough time for him to operate without her experiencing the pain.

When he had gotten all the supplies he needed he returned to her bedside, removed his leather gloves and replaced them with plastic ones.

"Riku…" Anna moaned. "I'll never… be able…"

Sephiroth froze. There was that name again. Why did she keep saying it? He looked at Anna and realized she was staring into nothingness again with tears streaking down her face. Sephiroth bit his lip. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. He lifted her head and poured the sleep potion down her throat. She surprisingly drank it without question. As she drifted off to sleep she opened her mouth one more time.

"The door…" She whispered, and then closed her eyes.

Cloud came back into the room holding some clothes in his arms.

"Here" he said. He was still acting shy. "Are these good?"

Sephiroth looked at them. It was a simple pair of pants and a long shirt.

"That will do nicely, Cloud, thank you." He said. "Now go ask Cid when we're getting a move on for me will you?"

Cloud nodded and dashed out of the room.

Sephiroth gingerly began to remove Anna's clothes, trying desperately not to look at anything, although he noticed she had both an empty dagger holster on her thigh as well as an empty sword sheathe on her back. He felt somewhat guilty, he knew what sword belonged to that sheathe and he also knew Anna was highly attached to it. He should have looked around for it in case she had dropped it somewhere nearby but he had been too preoccupied. While removing the rest of her clothes, he thanked the heavens that the majority of her injuries were on her back. He rolled her onto her stomach and covered her legs and behind with a sheet. Before he did however, he wrapped Anna's leg gash up with some bandaged to keep it from bleeding too much before he stitched it up. He also applied bandages to the gash on her chest. Then he began to apply the potions to her back injuries. He did this by soaking a cloth in the potion and dabbing the cuts and scrapes with them. With each dab the cuts would reduce in swelling and eventually heal over with brand new skin. Cloud came in at one point and told him they were already moving. Sephiroth had been so preoccupied with Anna that e hadn't even realized the ship had started moving.

The back injuries were not healing as quickly as he had hoped, so he had Zack heal the ones on her legs while he did her back, which cut the time in half. When they were finished Sephiroth told Zack to leave so he could heal the cuts on the front of her and start work on the larger wounds. Zack looked almost a little disappointed as he left, which made Sephiroth feel inclined to lock the door to the medical bay. He couldn't help admiring her body, though, she had developed a lot more than the last time he had seen her so close like this… so much more of a… woman…. He wanted to punch himself for thinking that. About an hour and a half and much cringing from "impure" thoughts later Sephiroth finished his work. He wasn't too thrilled about the stitching part. Sticking a needle through her skin again and again was somewhat nauseating, he never did mind cutting things open… but he putting the cut back together bothered him.

Once that was finished he dressed Anna and carried her to her quarters where he tucked her under her covers to sleep off the rest of the potion. It was then that he realized exactly how exhausted he was. It must've been three in the morning at this point. There were extra beds pretty much anywhere he could find one. The ship was most likely designed for a large amount of passengers; which he found strange due to the lack of medical supplies. He decided to sleep in the spare bed in Anna's room in case she woke up and had no idea where she was. He was on his way to the cockpit to tell the boys to get some rest as well when to his horror he bumped into cid in the corridor.

"Cid!" he said in panic. "Shouldn't you be driving?"

"Autopilot… I told you already…" Cid said with a yawn. "The boys are already sleepin now I'm going to bed too..."

"What if we get attacked by something?!" Sephiroth asked angrily.

"Some of the pilots are keeping watch…" Said Cid "If they see something they'll sound an alarm to all the Gummi ships… and trust me… it can wake the dead…"

"Wonderful…" Said Sephiroth sarcastically, and he turned back into Anna's room and shut the door.

It wasn't long, after he laid down on the spare bed, before he was lost in a deep sleep. Unfortunately this sleep was interrupted by someone whispering in his ear.

"Sephiroth? …..Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Anna. It took him a minute to focus in on her.

"Eh…?" He grunted. "Anna… How are you feeling?"

"Okay…" Said Anna "What's… what's going on?"

Sephiroth sighed, sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Then he patted the bedding next to him signaling Anna to sit there. She did, looking at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"We're headed to a world that takes in refugees like us." He said. "It's going to be a few days…"

"Then... our world…" Anna started.

"…is gone…" Sephiroth finished with another sigh.

"How many people made it out?" She asked.

Sephiroth winced.

"From what it looks like…"Said Sephiroth gingerly. "Less than half of the city made it out… I don't know about the towns…"

Anna gave a small cry and began to weep into her hands.

"Everything is gone…" she moaned. "My family… my people… my world…"

"Well not _every_thing…." Said Sephiroth. "Not _all_ the people are gone… I'm still here…"

Anna flung her arms around him.

"You have no idea how thankful I am that you are…" She said, tearfully, into his shoulder. "You saved me didn't you…?"

"Yes…" Said Sephiroth, softly. "Yes… I did…"

"I knew you would…" Anna said, starting to calm down a bit and hugging his arm. "I don't remember much past reaching the entrance hall... All I remember is hearing that witch's voice… then darkness… then hearing your voice… talking to you… then its all kind of… fuzzy…"

"What happened before that…?" Sephiroth asked.

"Xehanort…" Anna started but stopped and shuddered. "No… I… I… can't…"

"What did he do to you?!" Asked Sephiroth remembering how she reacted when he had asked her about the apprentices back in the castle…

"Nothing…_ really_ bad…" Anna said. "He just… tried to… take me with him…and…"

She shuddered again. Sephiroth wanted to ask more but he knew she was still too shaken up to handle any further interrogation.

"How about you go back to sleep?" He said, stroking her hair. "We can talk more in the morning… or… whenever we get up…"

He said this, realizing that it would be difficult to tell what time of day it was while in space.

Anna looked at the floor.

"Ummm… Sephiroth…." She said timidly. "Would you mind if I… uh…"

Sephiroth knew what she was going to ask so he laid back down on his bed and gave her enough room to lay with him.

"Not at all." He said smiling.

She gave him an embarrassed smile back and lay down next to him. He put his arm around her and she nestled her head beneath his chin. As they lay there curled up together Sephiroth couldn't help but notice how right this felt. Despite all that had happened he actually felt happy to be holding her in his arms again. Did this mean they were together again? He didn't know. He just didn't want this night to end. Tomorrow he would be faced with the reality of everything lost. The reality that his former master and long time friend was gone, the reality that he would have to be stronger inside than he ever was on the outside, and the reality that their world was really, truly gone.


	3. The Descent into Darkness Chapters: 3

CHAPTER III

Anna had awoken before Sephiroth, and everyone else it seemed as she walked into cockpit of the Gummi ship to find it abandoned. She sat in one of the seats and gazed out at the scenery they were passing through. It wasn't all stars and blackness like she had always imagined. There were breathtaking formations of colorful rocks merely floating around them in open space. Strange clouds of colorful gas hung everywhere. The ship even passed through some of these clouds, occasionally. Anna was so mystified by this beautiful scenery that she didn't even notice the blonde haired young man that walked into the cockpit and sat in a chair nearby her. Only when he spoke did she realize his presence.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.

Anna jumped and turned to look at him. He appeared to be in his mid teens. His hair was untidy and sticking out in many different directions. His young eyes were a mystical blue, full of hope and promise. He seemed very shy.

"Yes I am." She said giving him an encouraging smile.

"Sephiroth did a good job then…" Said the boy looking out the window as if he was trying to avoid eye contact. "you were in a really bad condition when we found you…"

"I imagine I was…" Said Anna looking down at her hands. She suddenly noticed the stitches on her chest. She didn't know that Sephiroth was the one that operated on her but it didn't surprise her. What caused her to blush though was the fact that in order to stitch a wound in that spot he would have had to remover her upper torso clothing… then she realized she had a sore spot on her thigh as well. When she ran her fingers across the spot she felt stitches there too under the fabric of her pants. It was at this point that she noticed that she was also not even wearing the same outfit she remembered wearing the previous day. She felt her face flush a deep red.

"What's wrong?" Asked the boy, looking concerned.

Anna cleared her throat.

"N…Nothing!" she said in an unusually high pitched voice; similar to the voice she exhibited when Sephiroth had addressed her in the entrance hall of the castle.

"So… I didn't catch your name!" She said attempting to change the subject as soon as possible.

"It's Cloud." Said the boy. "I was just inducted into second class of the Radiant Guard…"

"I see…" said Anna. "How'd you end up on the royal cruiser? Last I checked it wasn't exactly easy to get to…"

"I'm not so sure myself…" Said Cloud. "it all just kind of… happened…"

At this point another young man entered the room. He looked to be about in his mid teens, same as Cloud. His hair was also spiky but it was longer and pitch black. His eyes were also blue but a hardened and headstrong blue. Other than those features he looked nothing like cloud. His face was longer and thinner and he seemed not nearly as shy as Cloud either. He had a big grin plastered on his face.

"It's the connections!" said the young man as he flopped in a seat behind Anna. "Cloud's my friend, I'm Sephiroth's friend, Sephiroth is acquainted with Cid.,.."

"…and what's your name?" Anna asked him tuning around with a welcoming smile.

"Zack!" Said the boy standing up and bowing. "At your humble services milady!"

"Zack knock it off!" Snapped Cloud looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Anna laughed.

"So Cid led you guys here?" She asked. She had known Cid for a while now, ever since her father designated him the royal cruiser pilot.

Well…" Said Cloud rubbing the back of his neck. "I think it was more of just a coincidental meeting that ended up in all of us having nowhere else to go but here…"

"That too." Said Zack flopping back in his chair and propping his legs up against the side of the cockpit. "I'm sure if we all didn't meet up none of us woulda made it out… not even you."  
He gestured to Anna.

"Oh really?" Asked Anna curiously.

"Yeah we were all sure that everyone in the castle was dead ." Said Zack. "Cid wanted to go straight to this ship from a safer entrance but Sephiroth wouldn't hear it… he kept insisting we check the castle for survivors."

He suddenly laughed.

"Man, when Cid showed up Seph looked like he was gonna strangle him! He was supposed to already be getting you and your family outta there." He said. "Thank god he did show though; otherwise we would have died there like all those other people."

He suddenly stopped and his face went pale; as if the concept of the devastating situation was just hitting him.

Anna looked at the floor. All those people… she felt a painful tug somewhere in her heart.

"I really hope the outer villages were okay…" Said Cloud, gazing out into the sea of stars again.

"Me too…" Said Zack, glumly. His perky mood had all but vanished.

"Do you have relatives there?" Anna asked gingerly.

"Yeah…" Said Cloud. "Both our families live in the outer villages; we grew up out there…"

"Oh…" Said Anna, she didn't know if her father had extended the evacuation system to the outer villages. "I… I really hope they are alright…"

She suddenly felt her grief rise to her chest, painfully and her eyes began to water.

"Excuse me…" She said getting up quickly and walking out of the cockpit.

She didn't even notice Sephiroth as she ran past him through the corridor back to her quarters. She reached the room, shut the door, walked to far wall and collapsed with her back against it, tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders shook. Her throat emitted a small, long squeak as she suppressed intense sobs. Her eyes burned as tears steamed down her face, over her hand that was covering her mouth.

All gone… it was all gone… so many lives lost… She couldn't handle thinking about all the lives that had just been ruined, all the families that had been torn apart… including hers. She buried her face in her hands and gave a stifled cry. She wasn't a little girl anymore; she couldn't let those young men know that she was crying. She was their leader by default, now. Showing such weakness was not an option.

She heard her door hiss open, and then shut again. She looked up in shock and embarrassment thinking one of the boys had followed her but it was only Sephiroth. She noticed that his face was pale and almost terrified, when she looked up at him.

"Oh… Sephiroth…" Anna choked. "I… I'm sorry… I…"

She didn't have time to finish, Sephiroth had walked up to her, lifter her up and pulled her into a tight embrace. Anna couldn't help herself; she broke into tears and buried her face in Sephiroth's shoulder.

"Sephiroth…" She whimpered. "I…I can't… I just can't…"

"Don't say that!" Said Sephiroth. He grabbed Anna by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "You are far more capable of pulling through this than you give yourself credit for! Underestimating your potential is the worst mistake you can make at a time like this!"

Anna shook her head, tears flying from her cheeks.

"I failed them…" she groaned. "I failed them all…"

"WHAT?!" Said Sephiroth. He looked thoroughly shocked. "Anna, don't you DARE start thinking that this was your fault!"

"Those two boys…" Anna sobbed. "Their families are probably dead because I don't think my father extended the evacuation program to the outer towns… maybe if I had been more involved with his work we might have had the time to…"

"NO ANNA!!" Sephiroth snapped. "No one could have predicted this! This in NOT your or your fathers fault!"

Predicted?

Anna felt a sudden chill down her spine.

"No… "She said, bowing her head. "I could have…"

"What?" Asked Sephiroth, his eyes widening. "Anna… What are you talking about?"

"I… I knew he was up to something…" Said Anna, feeling her eyes begin to burn with even more grief. "But I… I was too afraid too say anything… I was too afraid I couldn't prove it… or that I would be wrong…"

"Who was up to something?" Sephiroth asked.

"Xehanort…" Said Anna, she fell to her knees and put her face in her hands again. "HE WAS BEHIND THE WHOLE THING!"

She pounded the floor with her fist.  
"I _could _have stopped it!"

"Anna…" Said Sephiroth gently. "Those apprentices were the pride and joy of all the young scientist in the world… hand picked by your father himself… I would have been hesitant too…"

"Tell that to all the people who lost their loved ones and homes!" Anna moaned, staring at the floor.

"I'm telling it to you." Said Sephiroth squatting down to her level and gently lifting her chin with his hand to look into her eyes once more. "This was not your fault. What's done is done. We just have to take this one day at a time and not dwell on things we can't change. If we do, our future will be as bleak as the empty space behind us. We don't have to accept the fact that our lives have been altered forever, but we can rise to meet all our fates head on to make sure it never happens again and rebuild our lives with whatever we are offered. We are already on our way to a place that will undoubtedly help us. All we need to do now is ask ourselves, are we going to let this haunt us forever? Or are we going to put it aside to help each other overcome this?"

Anna felt her tears suddenly stop and the roaring pain inside her cease to a numb buzzing. She stared at Sephiroth with wide eyes.

"You're right…" She said breathlessly. "You're absolutely right! This is no time to be sobbing over my personal problems… I have to be strong for the sake of everyone else!"

"You're a strong woman Anna." Said Sephiroth, rising to his feet. "and don't forget, I'll always be here to lend a hand if you should ever need it."

"Thank you Sephiroth…" Said Anna rising to her feet as well.

Sephiroth looked at her for a moment. There was an awkward silence in which Anna had the sudden urge to throw herself at Sephiroth and kiss him but she felt as if her old feelings for him were hitting a wall somewhere in her heart. Sephiroth looked similarly troubled and after a few minutes he nodded to her and left.

Anna collapsed into her bed feeling dazed and confused. This was no time to be impulsive, she finally concluded. If she got wrapped up with him now she would be too distracted to make any important decisions. She needed her head to be clear.

She fingered the stitches on her chest. They felt so strange and unnatural, she shuddered after running her fingers over them a few times.

Suddenly she felt a horrible pain beneath the stitches and cried out. She convulsed and fell off the bed clutching her sealed wound. She could smell darkness again; it was in the room, swirling around her head. She gasped for air, suppressing the urge to vomit. She could hear whispers in her ear. They were distant; at first, but soon a single voice became very clear.

"Don't think you are getting away that easily my dearest Anna!"

"Dammit!" Anna seethed. "Xehanort…"

"The areas between worlds are crawling with my minions, Anna, I would be careful if I were you…" Said Xehanort's voice, tauntingly. "Don't think you have escaped me yet!"

Anna's heart sank. Had he somehow found a way to communicate with her through the darkness in her wounds? And if so… did this mean he would torture her and haunt her until she gave in to all his demands of her? Before she could attempt to ask him a second voice piped up in her ear. The second voice was softer but no less cold.

"You arrogant fool… you've ruined both our lives and I will not rest until you pay for what you've done… Anna heed his warning about the heartless but do not allow him to torture you. As soon as your wound heals he will no longer have any power over you.

"That may be true but I can still tell her that I will not rest until I find her beloved Kairi and the keyblade master…" Xehanort's voice retorted. "And rest assured, Anna, they will suffer."

"Do as you will" The second voice spat back. "But the keyblade master will destroy you… you will never succeed."

The ship suddenly jolted to the side sending Anna flying for about two feet. The pain in her chest disappeared and the voices faded. Anna attempted to stand only to be thrown back to the floor with another sharp jolt. Sephiroth came bolting into the room. He ran to Anna's side and lifted her to her feet. She felt weak in the knees and collapsed helplessly into his arms.

"Wha…What's going on?" She asked breathlessly.

"Heartless ships are attacking us…" Said Sephiroth, there was a hint of worry in his voice. "We have the firepower to hold them off but not for long… we don't have enough fuel to attempt to outrun them either."

"What do we do?" Anna asked, still quite dazed.

"That's what you have to decide…" Said Sephiroth uneasily. "You're our leader now."

"Wonderful…" Said Anna sarcastically.

"You can pass the decision on to me if you want…" Said Sephiroth. "I am the head of the Radiant Guard now… or whatever is left of it…"

"Okay…" Said Anna. "You decide."

Sephiroth swung Anna's am around his neck and helped her into the ship's cockpit with him.

"She's given permission to me to make the choice." He said to Cid, who was now in the pilot's seat.

"…And?" Asked Cid, looking frustrated, while Sephiroth sat Anna down in one of the cockpit seats.

"We fight." Said Sephiroth simply.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cid gave Sephiroth a stiff nod. They both knew this could be the end of the all of them.

"Well boys…" Cid said into his communicator to the other ships. "Looks like we're giving 'em one last fight!"

"YOU KNOW THIS IS A FUTILE EFFORT DON'T YOU CID?" one of the captains buzzed back.

"Well so is trying to outrun them…" Said Cid "Apparently Lord Ansem didn't have something like this in mind when he designed this escape plan…"

"HE PROBABLY THOUGHT WE'D HAVE A BIGGER FLEET…" Buzzed another captain.

Cid Sighed. Sephiroth felt a deep sinking feeling of failure in the pit of his stomach. He looked at Anna her eyes were fixed on the floor. Her hand, however, was squeezing his shoulder in a comforting way.

"Look!"Cried Zack, making them all jump. "Isn't that….?"

"My god…" Said Cid "Of course!"

What they were referring to was the sudden realization of many enormous rock formations ahead of them. It appeared that their coordinates were taking them straight through this monstrous asteroid field.

"CID YOU SEE THAT?" Buzzed Murkus from his ship.

"I certainly do!" Said Cid excitedly. "Lord Ansem must've known what he was doing after all!"

Anna looked out at the asteroid field and gave a weary smile.

"That's right…" Said Sephiroth, grinning and setting Anna down in the nearest seat. "We can pilot through that easily… but the heartless are too brainless to get all the way through without getting themselves killed!"

"And we'll have plenty of firepower to pick off the ones that are lucky enough not to!" Zack finished gleefully.

"All right!" Cid said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Now its gettin' interesting!"

He retrieved a toothpick out of his pocket and stuck it in between his teeth.

"Seph!" He said standing up. "Take the wheel!"

"Sorry what?" Said Sephiroth taken aback by Cid's suggestion.

"You take the wheel!" Said Cid pointing to the steering device that was in reality only shaped like half a wheel with hand grips on both sides. "You're a good driver aren't you? I gotta take control of the guns, since I'm the only one on this ship who knows how to operate them!"

Sephiroth gulped. Sure the huge asteroids were sluggish with wide gaps between them but it still required a fair amount of skill to navigate though them. He hadn't flown a Gummi Ship for a good long time and he was afraid that he had forgotten some key piloting skills. Cid seemed to notice his hesitation.

"I'll be on the radio telling you what to do okay?" he said as he walked out of the room towards the back of the ship where the laser turret was located.

"You'll be fine" Said Anna squeezing Sephiroth's hand.

"I suggest you all buckle up" Said Sephiroth as he sat in the pilot's seat.

Cloud, Zack and Anna all took the suggestion quite hurriedly as Sephiroth began preparations to switch the ship off autopilot. He waited Cid's voice to buzz in on the radio to give him instructions.

"SEPH CAN YA HEAR ME?"

"Loud and clear Cid." Said Sephiroth into the radio. "Tell me what to do."

"ALRIGHT SEPH" said Cid "I WANT YOU TO MOVE BELOW THE FLEET."

Sephiroth bit his lip and pressed down on the left grip button on the ships helm. It worked, the ship dropped down below the others.

"KEEP IT STEADY!" Cid said. "EVERYONE GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT! THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN TRAINED FOR! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHOS GUNNERS DIDN'T MAKE IT, HEAD TO THE FRONT OF THE FLEET AND GUNNERS STAY IN THE BACK.

Sephiroth's heart sank when only six ships out of the twenty moved to the back to prepare for battle. The asteroid field was drawing closer and closer and so was the enemy fleet. Sephiroth's heart was pounding in his throat, he still couldn't remember a lot of his piloting lessons. There were a few moments when everything was still and silent. Then Cid's voice broke the calm.

"EVERYONE… FORWAWRD!"

Almost instinctively Sephiroth pressed his foot down on a petal below the helm to pick its speed up. He headed straight for an asteroid and ducked out of its way just in time causing the pursuing ships to crash into the giant rock.

"Whoa!" Said Zack who appeared to not have bucked up seeing as he was now on the floor of the cockpit in a heap. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I don't know…" Said Sephiroth. "I guess it just came naturally"

"Well it wouldn't have come to me!" Said Zack stumbling to his feet awkwardly. "That took skill!"

"Just sit down and buckle your damn seat belt!" Sephiroth snapped, navigating through more large rock formations.

Zack grinned and did what he was told. Cloud gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed his forehead. Anna remained silent staring out at the fleet. Sephiroth could tell her stomach was in knots. Her face was a mask of pale anxiety.

"STAY FOCUSED EVERYONE" Cid called. "WE STIL HAVE A WAYS TO GO."

It seemed for a while that their strategy was working but Sephiroth had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It seemed almost too easy. He glanced back at Anna and they shared a meaningful look. She must have had the same foreboding feeling. Then, in perfect timing, the asteroids were suddenly pushed away by two enormous heartless ships ahead of them. They were headed straight for the civilian ships, smashing everything in their path with arm like protrusions resembling morning stars.

"PULL UP!: Cid Shrieked. "EVERYBODY PULL UP!"

Sephiroth cringed as one of the civilian ships fell victim to the debris of a destroyed asteroid. Then another exploded as it came in contact with the heartless ship's smashing weapons.

"No!" Anna cried out.

She attempted to rise from her seat but Cloud who was seated behind her put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back down.

"Please lady…." He said. "you need to calm down…"

"How can I?" Anna moaned. "More of our people are dying!"

"There's nothing we could have done!" Sephiroth said through gritted teeth navigating as best he could to avoid another mighty swing from the morning star ships.

"Cid!" he said into the radio. "We need to get past these things… I have an idea..."

"WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?" Cid replied.

"look behind those things." Said Sephiroth. "Do you see any more heartless ships?

"NO…" Said Cid "BUT IF WE EVER MAKE IT PAST THESE THINGS WELL HAVE A HELL OF A TIME OUTRUNNING THEM!"

"So we block their path…"

"HOW THE HELL WE GONNA DO THAT?" Cid Snapped. "YOU SAW HOW THEY SMASHED THOSE GIANT ASTEROIDS!"

"I'm sure that ship has a threshold…" Said Sephiroth. "If enough asteroids were brought together blocking their path they'll have a hard time getting through with their ship still in functioning order."

"AND DO YOU PLAN ON BUILDING THIS GIANT WALL?" Asked Cid. "IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE HUGE!"

"Yes I do plan on it…" Said Sephiroth. "But I need you to take the helm…"

"YOU'RE FRIGGIN CRAZY…" Said Cid. "BUT IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE ANY OTHER CHOICE AGAINST THESE THINGS…"

"Good." Said Sephiroth "Then get down here and get us out of their reach first of all!"

"ON MY WAY!" Said Cid. "MOVE THE SHIP TO THE FRONT OF THE FLEET!"

Sephiroth did so as a third ship exploded barely a few feet from their right wing. It sent the royal cruiser spinning off course. Sephiroth hit the forward thrusters just in time to avoid spinning into yet another enormous rock formation. He had been avoiding using these for a good reason; the fuel had dropped a significant level because of them.

"that was a some smooth piloting." Said Cid as he entered the cockpit looking dazed."

"Sorry Cid…" Said Sephiroth getting to his feet. "Had to be done!"

Cid grinned and took the helm. Anna looked up at Sephiroth and grabbed his arm as he walked past her to the back of the cockpit.

"What are you going to do?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Build a wall…" Said Sephiroth without looking back at her. "Cid, I'm going up to the top so I can see what I'm doing."

"Careful…" said Cid in a very serious tone. "That glass is thick but if it breaks the compartment will close off to avoid damage to the ship, you'll be sucked into space and we won't be able to help you."

They were referring to the glass dome compartment on top of the ship. It was where Cid had been before since it was the control center for all the guns on the ship.

Anna's face had gone very pale.

"Be careful…" She said letting go of his arm and looking down at the floor.

Sephiroth felt something tugging at his heart. Just looking at her made him yearn. He longed to run his fingers through her beautiful hair and get lost in her eyes. He wanted more than anything to pick her up in his arms and take her away where they wouldn't be bothered; to kiss her, to hold her and to make love to her. He wanted this whole ordeal to be over with, he wished he had to courage to come to her before all this happened and tell her he never stopped loving her, ever. His heart was pounding in his chest; he reached for Anna's shoulder, and then remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He retracted his hand and shook the thoughts out of his head. He headed out of the cockpit feeling foolish. He had never stopped nursing the worry that they were all going to die since this ordeal started. But he still couldn't bring himself to tell Anna the truth, even in their moments alone together.

As he headed to the ladder in the ships main corridor he was thrown from his feet as Cid dodged something. The ship continued to swerve about, making it difficult for him to get back to his feet. He crawled along the floor until he reached the ladder, then pulled himself up and began climbing, hanging on with all his strength. When he reached the top he looked out at the scene behind them. To his dismay there were still a few ships too close to the enemies. He found the radio and called down to Cid.

"Cid!" he yelled. "Tell those stragglers to get a move on! If I don't do this soon were not gonna have much of a shot. "

"GIVE EM A BREAK SEPH!" Cid called back. "SOME OF THEM CANT FLY AS WELL AS WE CAN!"

Sephiroth sighed. He waited a little longer for the ships to get far enough away from the enemy; however, one ship couldn't seem to be capable of this task. Sephiroth knew he had no choice, Anna would be furious if she found out… he hoped upon hoped that they would make it out of the way in time, otherwise…

He shook the guilt out of his head. He needed full concentration.

He shut his eyes, and reached out of the ship with his mind. Many invisible enormous hands were sprouting from his mind as he narrowed and narrowed his concentration. They felt around in the emptiness of space until they clasped the asteroids he was looking for. Once he had control of all the asteroids he began moving them together. This part made his head hurt. He was powerful enough to manage controlling asteroids but these were much bigger and there were many of them. It was if his mind was a pane of glass that was slowly being put under more and more pressure. He had to pull them together faster or the plan wouldn't work.

He focused as hard as he could. The rocks got closer and closer and closer images of the ships, the heartless and Anna flashed through his head. There was an enormous crashing noise outside the ship. Sephiroth felt the pane of glass in his head crack and a fragment fell… fell into oblivion… his eyes shot open. He was lying on the floor of the compartment drenched in cold sweat. He wondered how long he had been out. It couldn't have been long; he could see the enormous shield like formation of rocks that stretched for miles in all different directions, the fruit of his labor. He stumbled to his feet, his legs quivering slightly. He noticed the ship was flying straight and smoothly now. He looked out behind them and saw no heartless ships tailing them. He heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. Cid's voice cracked in from the radio behind him.

"SEPH! YA DID IT!! COME ON DOWN NOW EVERYTHIN'S ALRIGHT!"

Sephiroth climbed down the ladder to find Anna standing there waiting for him. Her face was taught and her arms were folded. Sephiroth felt his stomach sink, he knew what was coming.

"One of the ships didn't make it." She said giving him a hard glare.

Sephiroth massaged his forehead and sighed.

"Anna listen…" He started, but she interrupted him.

"Don't you even CARE how many people have died?!" She began to shout. "Those people actually had a chance to live and you took it away from them!"

Something inside Sephiroth snapped and he felt a sudden rage boil inside him.

"SO the fact that I just saved EVERYONE else INCLUDING your ass means absolutely nothing to you!?" He shouted back. "I'm sorry if I couldn't save everyone! Heaven forbid I mess one thing up while saving the day!"

"This isn't about that!" Anna snapped stomping her foot. "You just couldn't wait two seconds for them to catch up with us? You're so impatient you'd sacrifice human lives!"

"I wasn't impatient t and they were NOT going to make it even if I did wait for and IF I did wait for them we all would have been killed!"

"I would rather have died than torn more families apart!" Anna shrieked.

She swung her hand at Sephiroth but he caught it in midair and backed her up against the wall, his anger flushing his cheeks and writhing in his chest.

"You have to stop acting like a little girl!" He snarled, his face inches from hers. "I'm a general; I know what to do in tight combat situations for the greater good. Don't you DARE question my choices when you can't even handle being our leader! Grow up Anna and stop trying to be so damn noble! This is the real world and we all need to make sacrifices! Were not little kids running around with swords anymore!"

Anna's face was a mixture of terror and loathing. Sephiroth could feel her trembling with rage. He let go of her and she pushed him away.

"You've… changed…" She said, in a quivering voice. "I don't know you any more…"

"You haven't changed at all…" Sephiroth hissed. "You're still a helpless child!"

She dashed out of the corridor into her room with her face in her hands. Sephiroth paced the corridor trying to let off the steam rising inside him. _Who does she think she is?! I saved our sorry butts and all she can think about is the one mistake I made!_ He punched the wall of the corridor. His fist made a rather enormous dent in the steel. How could he love someone so childish? He massaged his knuckles and stomped into the medical bay. He obviously couldn't share a room with Anna tonight, so he would have to make himself at home in there.

He saw Anna's old tattered clothes and he kicked them into the corner. He noticed, as they slid across the floor, that a splinter of wood had fallen out of one of the pockets. He picked it up, and examined it. She had to have kept it for a reason… he set it on the counter next to him and collapsed onto the cot on his back, massaging his face with his hands. This was a disaster… he concluded. There's no going back now, everything has changed. He could only pray that this world they were headed to would allow them to blend in with their societies. Otherwise, they were doomed to extinction here among the stars.

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huzzah! ch 3 is finally done... it only took me like forever to finish it... xmas break is coming however, hopefully ill have enough time on my hands to continue writing...

comments are always appreciated.

flamers will be shot...

survivors will be shot again...


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